1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical system having an optical element having a gradient index dependent on the distance from the optical axis, namely, a so-called gradient index rod lens system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, devices for reading information highly densely recorded on a recording medium by condensing a laser beam into a tiny spot, such as optical video discs and digital audio discs, have been developed. As an optical system for condensing a laser beam into a tiny spot, use is nowadays made of a lens system similar to a microscope objective lens comprising a combination of several ordinary spherical lenses. Recently, however, pick-up lenses using convergent gradient index rod lenses, namely, so-called Selfoc lenses, for the purpose of achieving the ease of assembly and adjustment of the lenses and the compactness and light weight of the lenses have been reported.
However, these reports provide means for correcting only spherical aberration and do not at all mention off-axis aberrations, namely, coma, curvature of field, etc.
As will later be described, in a gradient index lens having a single piece planar end surface, spherical aberration can be corrected very highly accurately by suitably selecting the coefficient of the high order term of the gradient index, but at the same time, the sine condition cannot be satisfied and therefore, great coma occurs and it becomes impossible to condense a tiny spot at a point slightly spaced apart from the optical axis.